Following the now tradition of the yearly reflective summary, it is time for the wrap-up blog post on what I achieved on 2015, which were my biggest fails and what I am planning to do in 2016. Here it goes!

In 2015 I…

• Had an awesome year with my beloved Malin. We have settled very well in Stockholm and really enjoy living in our new appartment in this city that has so much to offer. We also had a very fun and giving trip to Greece and Rome.
• Started working as a consultant at Active Solution with super awesome colleagues. I have worked in a lot of different projects, with a ton of technologies and responsibility. It’s been great to have a challenging job that pushes me to develop and learn more stuff all the time, it compounds with my own learning at home and BOOM!! Sometimes I miss developing a product and working within an ever-improving close knitted team but working as a consultant is definitely an enriching experience both in tech and soft skills (You have almost no time to feel comfortable, and uncomfotableness is the best symptom of growth).
• I became a MSCD in Web Development and learnt a ton on the way. Like a lot, I spent 5 months studying front-end, backend and Azure stuff after work. Not that I wouldn’t do that anyhow, but this time it was very broad in scope and very concentrated in time.
• I focused a lot both at home and at work on front-end development, web design and UX. I have worked as a lead front-end developer in several projects and as a UX designer. Cool :)
• I started writing a book on JavaScript: JavaScript-Mancy - Mastering the Arcane Art Of Writing Awesome JavaScript for C# Developers. It has been pretty challenging thus far, particularly in the sense of committing time to writing with a full time job and life, but I have learnt a ton and I’m looking forward to the rest of the journey. I really thought I would have it done by the year’s end (hahaha). Optimistic and naive Jaime… Anyhow I have written something like 370 pages of solid JavaScript goodness so far and there’s a lot more coming. I estimate that the final book will be 800 pages of pure awesomeness.
• I wrote 54 blog posts this year, which are 22 more than the last. Good job!
• I didn’t do so much software development presenting this year but this presentation on JavaScript was pretty good.
• I am going to be speaking at Swetugg 2016 soon on Feb 1st!
• I read 50 books this year. A mix of fantasy, science fiction, financials, self-improvement and programming books.
• Did lots of learning. This year all over the place: front-end, back-end, Azure, design and UX
• This is my fourth year as a proud non-smoker. Yey!
• Led a healthy lifestyle with a great work-life balance, lots of training (running and weightlifting) and healthy eating. Still have problems with my shoulder though but I haven’t lost any strength (almost, I am doing 100Kg benchpresses instead of 120Kg, but what’s 20 Kg XD)
• Read a lot about mindfulness and started meditating using Headspace. I love it. Although sometimes I wonder if I have become a hypochondriac now that I am more conscious about my body inner workings.

My Biggest Fails of 2015…

This year I don’t feel like there was something glaring that I wanted to do and didn’t but…

• I probably should have aimed for a shorter, more specific book as my entry point into the field of book authoring :)
• I have sacrified my health for work several times this year. It all starts with I’ll work a little extra, continues with I’ll work out tomorrow instead, and it all spirals down from there. I have to be better at keeping my cornerstone habit of working out and exercising.
• I am way too fond of starting a lot of things at the same time. I really need to police myself to remain focused and get things done before I start on new projects.
• I didn’t learn Haskell
• I would’ve liked to build another product with my company, something small like an Ionic app.

In 2016 I Want To…

• Continue investing in my great relationship with Malin :)
• Complete the JavaScript-Mancy book!
• Become an even more awesome software developer and specialize more in front-end development and UX
• Continue blogging and doing it even more often. It is a pity to keep all the things that I learn trapped in my head waiting to rot away. This year I’d like to go back to having more experimental side-projects and have some video content.
• Invest more time in my drawing/design/art skills.
• Continue investing in a healthy lifestyle. Pay my duties to my body and mind before doing anything else.
• Do more speaking at User Groups or Conferences.
• Be more involved in the local community.
• Continue cultivating the habit of finishing things :)
• Improving my focus and avoid starting 20 things at the same time. Which I still do to this very day. XD

What about you? What do you want to achieve in 2016? In any case, I wish you an awesome 2016, may you fulfill all your goals and dreams!